Attorney General Laxalt and 40 Other Attorneys General Issue Investigative Subpoenas to Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Distributers in National Opioid Investigation

September 19, 2017

Carson City, NV –Today, Nevada Attorney General Adam
Paul Laxalt announced a new step in his ongoing investigation with a bipartisan
coalition of 40 attorneys general to help address the opioid crisis in Nevada
and around the country. In the wake of this investigation, AG Laxalt and other
participating states have begun demanding documents and information from
manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids. This information will
enable the attorneys general to evaluate whether manufacturers and distributors
were engaged in unlawful practices in the marketing, sale and distribution of
opioids.

Thus far,
participating attorneys general have served investigative subpoenas for
documents and information, also known as Civil Investigative Demands, on prescription
opioid manufacturers Endo, Janssen, Teva/Cephalon, Allergan, and their related
entities, as well as a supplemental Civil Investigative Demand on Purdue
Pharma. Additionally, the coalition has sent information demand letters to
opioid distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson requesting
documents about their opioid distribution businesses.

“My office is
continuing to combat this opioid crisis on several fronts,” said Laxalt. “By
issuing subpoenas, my office has taken another significant step in the ongoing
investigation into the business practices of opioid manufacturers and
distributors. As this investigation progresses, I will continue to work to
enhance law enforcement efforts and promote prevention in Nevada.”

Opioid abuse and
misuse results in behavioral and biological health issues that affect
individuals, families and communities, and costs the United States more than
$740 billion in crime, lost work productivity and health care each year. Nationwide
and in Nevada, opioids—prescription and illicit—are the main driver of drug
overdose deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids
were involved in 33,091 nationwide deaths in 2015, and opioid overdoses have
quadrupled since 1999. In 2016, Nevada was ranked as the sixth highest state
for the number of milligrams of opioids distributed per adult according to a
study by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Though the
individual states participating in this investigation will not be identified at
this time, the coalition of attorneys general are using these investigative
tools to determine what role the opioid manufacturers and distributors may have
played in creating or prolonging this epidemic and determine the appropriate
course of action to help resolve this crisis.

On September 25,
2017, AG Laxalt will give a presentation at Governor Sandoval’s Opioid State
Action Accountability Taskforce concerning upcoming opioid related initiatives
that are consistent with the recommendations made within Governor Sandoval’s Prescription
Drug Abuse Prevention Summit and Statewide Plan.